West Haven, Conn., July 1, 2008- Dr. Nancy Ortins Savage, assistant professor of chemistry and director of the University of New Haven Engineering & Science Summer Institute for Young Women, has been selected for the silver entry-level Connecticut Quality Improvement Partnership's CQIA Innovation Prize. Savage was chosen for the award due to her pioneering development of the first Engineering & Science Summer Institute for Young Women at UNH, in 2007, and efforts to increase the interest of young women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to Savage, there are far fewer women than men in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, and a tremendous need for programs to expand their interest. "Women bring different skill sets to any ‘non-traditional' field," she points out. "Science and engineering disciplines need women, with their experiences, interests and ideas, to help bring about future discoveries and innovations." While continuing her own research this summer-developing composites of semiconducting metal oxides and conducting polymers and investigating their behavior as chemical sensors-Savage continues to direct the Engineering & Science Summer Institute for Young Women, a five-day overnight summer program slated for August 3-7, 2008.
The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership is celebrating its 21st anniversary as America's first state-level award to use the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence criteria. Criteria for the CQIA Innovation Prize include development of a service, process or product that is new to Connecticut in the last five years and use of data to demonstrate how the innovation has benefited an organization.
A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. A private University founded in 1920, UNH has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of more than 5,000 students-with 70 percent residing on its 80-acre main campus-and a graduate school enrollment that exceeds 1,700. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its four colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
